Principles of Disaster Management

Learn the Lingo

Emergency - an exceptional event that exceeds the capacity of normal resources and organization to cope with it but does not deplete local resources.
Four Levels
Heart attack in a public arena Incidents - can be handled by a single municipality Major incidents - requires mutual-aid response, regional, or inter-jurisdictional resources National or international disaster - requires national government involvement

Learn the Lingo

Disasters - same as a catastrophe
Definition is limited due to the diversity of variables involved
E.g. assets of victims

Disasters cannot take place independent of human impact

Types of Disasters
Natural
Geological
Earthquakes

Meteorological
Tornados, ice storms, drought

Oceanographic
Hurricanes, tsunamis

Hydrological
Flooding

Biological
Wildfire, Insect infestation

May 5: Greensburg, Kan., city officials say a deadly tornado damaged about 95 percent of the town.

Types of Disasters
Technological
Hazardous materials and processes
Hazardous materials and processes

Dangerous processes
Structure failure

Devices and machines

Explosives, trains, aircraft

Installations and plants

Dams, mines, power plants

Chernobyl Nuclear Station

Types of Disasters
Social
Terrorism
Bombings, hostage, shootings

Crowds
Riots, demonstrations

May 6, Youths riot in France following conservative presidential election victory

Learn the Lingo

Hazard
Natural, technological, or social phenomenon that threatens human life, and is usually a reoccurring event

Vulnerability
Susceptibility to loss, damage, destruction, or casualty from potential disasters

Risk
The probability and frequency of a hazard occurring Involves human life and assets Completely hypothetical Constantly evolving
Assets change constantly

Overview of Disaster Management

Disaster management is the management of risk so that societies can live with environmental and technical hazards and deal with disasters that they cause (Waugh, 2000).

Downtown Biloxi, Mississippi Post Hurricane Katrina

History of Disaster Management in the U.S.

Mixed organization Military Private Bureaucracy Government officials (local, State, and Federal) Based on ad hoc legislation and piecemeal approaches (Sick care)

Hurricane Andrew 1992

Disaster Management prior to WWI

The first modern government emergency management efforts focused on fire hazards:
1803 - New Hampshire town fire
First example of federal response to a disaster

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Boston fire of 1872

Prior to WWI government programs to address hazards and respond to disasters were unknown Salvation Army and Red Cross provided the majority of disaster response

The Cold War and Civil Defense

Focus was on nuclear war and fallout Limited environmental mitigation Natural disasters:
1954 - Hurricane Hazel 1955 - Hurricane Diane 1957 - Hurricane Audrey 1962 - Ash Wednesday Storm - $300 million in damages 1965 - Hurricane Betsy

Response to disasters:
Ad hoc with little to no prevention

National Focus: 1970s

Over 100 federal agencies involved in disaster management. All-hazards approach was created Major Disaster:
Three Mile Island Power Plant
Identified the lack of preparedness and the role of the federal governments response to disasters

Creation of FEMA
Consolidated emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response activities into one federal organization

FEMA in Chaos 1980s - 1990s

FEMA lacked leadership, funding, and Congressional support Local officials did not understand the disaster response system Disasters:
1989 - Loma Prieta Earthquake 1992 - Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Iniki

Hurricane Andrew, 1992

FEMAs Revival: 1993-2001

All-hazards approach implemented Effectively responded to:
1993 - Midwest floods 1995 - Oklahoma City bombing
More than 50,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in nine Midwest states. Photo courtesy of FEMA.

The Threat of Terrorism: 2001 to Present

September 11, 2001
Creation of DHS Reorganization of departments and disaster management Focus is on national security

Expansion of Disaster Management field in academic institutions Disaster Events:

2005 - Hurricane Katrina

WTC Attack

Principles of Disaster Management All-Hazards Approach

Mitigation = Prevention
Sustained action to reduce or eliminate risk to people and property from hazards and their effects (Bullock & Haddow, 2006) The examination of long-term solutions to reduce risk Mitigation programs are most successful at the local level

Mitigation Process
Gather Information
Data collection Diversify input Examine historical events

Assess Vulnerability in relation to hazards

Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA)

Produce policy, protocols, and codes

Mitigation Tools
Hazard Identification mapping
HVA

Insurance
National Flood Insurance Plan

Design and construction

Building codes

Structural Controls
Levee

Land-use planning
Flood plain management

Education
Public (selfresponsibility)

Incentives
Grants

Early warning systems

Tornado sirens

Indian Ocean Tsunami December 26, 2004

Indonesia post Tsunami

Planning = Prevention
The leadership, training, readiness, exercise support, technical and financial assistance to strengthen citizens, communities, state, local, tribal governments and professional emergency workers as they prepare for disasters, mitigate the effects of disasters, respond to community needs after a disaster, and launch effective recovery efforts - FEMA

Planning Approach
Systematic approach (continued cycle): Identify type of disasters, threats, jurisdictions, or any other entity Assess current vulnerability and level of preparedness Exercise, train, and test plans Key Elements: Plans, protocols, and policies must be adaptable Volunteer organizations and general public must be involved in exercises and training

Exercise and Test the Plan

Implement Practice Drills with Public

Response
Prior to, during and post disaster event Begins with Alerts or Early Warnings Mitigation Phase I: Policies, procedures, and protocols that directs response and recovery activities Evacuation Evacuation Centers Hotels, Schools.. Medical care, food, clothing, communication

9/11 Response

Potential Responders
Local first responders and volunteers are the initial SAR team Action is usually dictated by established protocols Government Local, Regional, and National Role is defined by policy, political environment, and available resources NGOs and PVOs Volunteer organizations that operate independently, with focused missions and limited resources Role is defined by local, regional, and national policies and law International Organizations (IOs) Organizations with an international presence and influence but not independent from government influence Vast resources available

Search and Rescue

Survival rates fall exponentially within 24 hours after impact Mutual aids and federal government assistance may take days to respond Initial SAR and first responding is the responsibility of the local community

Communication is the Key to SAR Success

Incident Command Systems (ICS)
Central IC and Field IC - delegates responsibilities as needed Five major Management Systems of ICS
Command Section Operations Planning Logistics Finance

Two types of SAR: Urban and Rural

Phases of SAR Systematic Search Aerial Ground and underground based Advanced search trained dogs, sensing devices.. Location of victims Extraction or recovery Stabilization and transport

Creating a SAR Full-Scale Unit

Leader (2) Search Team - manager (2), dog handler (4), technical search specialist (2) Rescue Team - manager (2), rescue-squad officer (4), rescuers (20) Medical Team - doctors (2), paramedics or nurses (4) Technical Team - manager (2), heavy equipment and rigging specialists (2), hazardous-materials specialist (2), communications specialist (2), logistics specialist (2), documentation specialist (2)

Major Challenges with SAR

Safety Secondary disasters Convergence
Media, spectators, volunteers, first responders

The vast majority of SAR volunteers are untrained

Hurricane Katrina Search and Rescue

Recovery
Recovery involves decisions and actions relative to rebuilding homes, replacing property, resuming employment, restoring businesses, and permanently rebuilding infrastructure (Bullock & Haddow)

Recovery Phase
Mitigation II (longterm solutions)
Review and make policies on zoning, early-warning systems, structural codes, insurance Rebuild or Relocate?

Recovery Phase
Crisis Counseling Legal Assistance Employment Assistance Housing Programs Business Assistance Programs Health and Medical Services Programs for Economic Recovery Construction

Mitigation Stage II

Disaster Management in Developing Countries

The greatest incidence of natural disasters occurs within developing countries, with 90 percent of disaster related injuries and deaths are sustained in countries with percapita income levels that are below $760 per year (UNICEF)

The Developing World

Accident of Geography Many developing countries are in regions prone to severe hazards Poverty is a major cause of vulnerability

Disaster Management in Developing Countries

All-hazards approach Prevention is the key:
Cross-cultural communications and education Structural mitigation Create Maps Create a Plan

Bamboo house is reinforced against a typhoon

Making it Practical
Just like in medicine prevention is the key. Healthcare professionals need to be involved in all elements of disaster management.